Saved

Four

It didn't take long for Allison to realize just how drunk Billy was as he veered all over the road without a care in the world, never taking his foot off the gas pedal. She leaned back into her seat, focusing hard to keep the car in their lane. Her nose began to bleed after several minutes and she was thankful that it was dark enough to hide it.

"Where are we going?", she asked, knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long without exhausting herself.

"There's this place...I think it's called Lover's Lake or something. It's just up ahead.", he answered, slurring his words. Allison nodded, subtly wiping her nose into her sleeve. A few moments later, Billy began to slow down the car, before turning off onto a small dirt road.

As the tree branches scraped against the car window, Allison jumped, before wrapping her arms around herself. She remained in the same position until they came out into an opening, the headlights lighting up the water in front of them. Billy pulled up as close as he could to the water, put the car in park, shut off the engine, and rolled down his window.

Allison did the same, letting the cool night air blowing through the car. She stared out at the lake, watching the moonlight glisten across the surface, while Billy pulled out a cigarette and lit it. 

"Want one?", he offered, holding out the pack towards her. To his surprise, she politely declined with a small shake of her head. "Suit yourself.", he shrugged, tucking the pack into his jacket pocket. As he smoked they sat in silence, just staring out into the darkness. 

"So when did you move here?", Allison asked suddenly, trying to spark a conversation.

"A few weeks ago.", he kept his answer short, giving Allison nothing to work with.

"Why did your family move?", she tried again, desperate to make a connection with Billy. 

"Does that matter?", he sighed, throwing what was left of the cigarette out his window.

"Well no, but-", she began to speak, but found herself getting cut off mid-sentence.

"Then don't worry about it!", Billy growled, his words harsh and aggressive, causing a look of instant regret to spread across his face. Not knowing how to respond, Allison turned her body away from him to stare out the open window. Behind her, Billy exhaled loudly before resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

In the uncomfortable silence, Allison fought the temptation to read Billy's mind, wanting so badly to understand him. When she couldn't fight it any longer, she opened the car door and stepped outside, taking in a long refreshing breath. 

The repetitive and calming sound of the water hitting the shore, drew her closer to the lake until she was standing only a couple of feet away from it. As the cool autumn air hit her face, it triggered a memory inside her.

After escaping from Hawkin's lab, Allison and Eleven had been separated, leaving Allison to wander the forest alone. She had managed to hold off the creature, that she would come to know as the Demogorgon on the first night, giving Eleven the chance to escape and she could only hope that Eleven had found somewhere safe to hide since then. 

Allison had lost track of the number of days that she had spent hiding from the monster, but she estimated that it was the better part of a week. Just as she was about to give up, collapsing from both hunger and fatigue, she heard a desperate voice call out in the darkness.

"Nancy! Nancy, where are you?", it was the voice of a young man, and he sounded scared.  She forced herself to get up and crawl out of the makeshift shelter, that she had built out of sticks and leaves. Her bare feet were numb from the cold and she couldn't feel a thing as she ran across the forest floor. 

As she rounded the corner, she spotted the source of the sound. The boy was knelt down in front of a tree, trying to pull out something from an opening in its trunk. She heard a shrill cry from deep inside the tree and rushed over to help the stranger, plunging her hand deep inside the hole.

Together, they helped drag a girl out of the tree just before the hole sealed shut behind her. Allison backed away, trying to catch her breath as the boy wrapped his arms around the other girl, holding her close to his body.

"It's okay. I've got you.", he kept whispering in her ear, trying his best to comfort her. 

"Who...who are you?", the frightened girl stammered, turning her eyes towards Allison.

"Nine...uh...Allison.", Allison answered, shivering where she stood.

"What are you doing out here?", the boy asked climbing to his feet. "Have you seen my brother?  A little boy, about this tall? His name is Will. Answer me!", Allison flinched as he raised his voice, but he refused to let up.

"Jonathan! Can't you see that she's scared?", the girl scolded, revealing the boy's name. "I'm Nancy. How long have you been out here?", she softened her tone, taking a step closer to Allison.

"Since...November 6th...", she whispered, recalling the day that she and Eleven had escaped from the lab.

"That's the night Will went missing! Tell me what you know!", Jonathan yelled, his fear taking over.

"I haven't seen your brother, but I might be able to help find him.", she promised, her voice becoming airy and weak.

"Jonathan, we need to bring her to your mom, she'll know what to do.", Nancy spoke directly to Jonathan, before extending out her hand towards Allison, doing her best to muster up a friendly smile. A quick glimpse of Nancy's thoughts told Allison that she was trustworthy, prompting her to accept her hand.

From there, she followed the pair through the forest, back to the warmth of their car that had been parked out by the main road. As she curled up in the back seat, letting the feeling return to her body, she stared out the window, blissfully unaware of what the next few days would have in store.

"What are you doing?", Billy's deep voice pulled Allison back to the present, and she slowly turned to face him. 

"Just getting some air."

"It's fucking cold out here.", he complained, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to stay warm.

"A bit, but maybe if you wore a shirt that wouldn't be a problem.", she teased, watching him start to shiver. Despite his attempt to hide how cold he was, Allison was able to see right through him.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she walked towards him with her arms outstretched. As she came to stand in front of him, she began to do up the buttons on his jacket, trying not to stare at his bare chest as she did so. 

Billy stood frozen in place, conflicted on whether or not he should let her continue or take a step back. Although the gesture seemed small and insignificant, it had been years since someone had taken care of him, and he decided to welcome it, if only for a few moments. As he stared down at Allison he couldn't help but grin at the look of concentration on her face.

"There. That should help.", she whispered, taking a small step back.

"If you come back to the car with me, I have another idea of what might help warm us up."

"I told you that I'm not sleeping with you-"

"That's not what I'm talking about. There's been a bottle of whiskey rolling around the back seat for a while now, and I was wondering if you'd like to help finish it off.", he suggested, glancing back at the Camaro. "I won't try anything, I swear.", he added, responding to the look of uncertainty on Allison's face.

"Fine, but if you so much as look at me the wrong way, you'll end up at the bottom of the lake, understood?"

"Damn, Wheeler. You're so hot when you're threatening me with murder.", he breathed, looking her up and down. 

"Understood?", she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, I understand.", he vowed, giving her the best look of innocence he could muster. With that, Allison followed him back to the car, preparing herself to drink for the very first time in her life.